Early NFL Over/Under win total predictions for the 2021 season

Early NFL Over/Under Win Total Predictions: NFC East

Dallas Cowboys, 9.5 wins: Over

Understanding that the Dallas Cowboys defense remains quite flawed even after going into the draft with a top-10 pick, it’s hard not to think that the return of Dak Prescott should help head coach Mike McCarthy and his club turn a corner. The defense, despite its issues, will be better under Dan Quinn than under Mike Nolan. Moreover, it’s going to be hard for just about anyone to keep up with Dak, Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, Ezekiel Elliott and this offense.

Will that translate to playoff success? It’s hard to say. But it should be enough to get the Cowboys to the postseason and over this win total line.

New York Giants, 7.5 wins: Under

Another potentially unpopular opinion here because the New York Giants made a lot of nice moves this offseason.

Signing Kenny Golladay in free agency is a huge get for the offense, as is trading down and drafting Kadarius Toney. Moreover, Joe Judge and this coaching staff showed really positive things throughout 2020. But it all comes down to Daniel Jones for me. There isn’t a world where I can have faith in the turnover-prone signal-caller at this point, even with all of the help in place. Sometimes, you simply need the right quarterback. I don’t believe that’s Jones in New York.

Philadelphia Eagles, 6.5 wins: Under

It’s a bit baffling to me that more people aren’t on the Jalen Hurts bandwagon given the moments he had over his brief run as the Philadelphia Eagles starter last season — as a rookie, it should be noted. Still, he comes into the offseason battling for his job. But my lack of faith in the Eagles isn’t about Hurts or DeVonta Smith or any of that. This is a roster that had an expiration date thanks to large veteran contracts and they started to hit that this offseason with the cuts and moves they had to make. I think we now see that on the field with a team that is trying to find a new way to win.

Washington Football Team, 8.5 wins: Over

Last year’s NFC East champions, the Washington Football Team were the poster-children for battles of attrition. It was a revolving door at quarterback and they still clawed their way to a playoff berth, largely thanks to the strength of a young, up-and-coming defense.

That defense should be the calling card and offseason signings like Ryan Fitzpatrick and Curtis Samuel should bolster the offense. Still, defensive dominance is more volatile than some like to pretend and, if Washington takes a step back, I’m not sure the offense is improved enough for them to win the division again. Still, 8.5 wins is a low total that you can confidently bet the over on.